January 2014 CASA Connects

  • by BPC Staff
  • on January 30, 2014
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In the News

State Water Board Announces Extended Term Financing

Great Example of Effective Recycling & Management

CASA Members Appointed to Serve on Potable Reuse Committee

 

Job Board

For a complete view of all CASA news, visit CASA Current News.

 

CASA Upcoming Events

February 24-26, 2014

Washington D.C. Conference, Mayflower Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC

April 28-29, 2014

CASA Public Policy Forum, Sheraton Grand Hotel, Sacramento, California

August 20-22, 2014

2014 59th Annual Conference, Marriott Monterey, Monterey, CA

For a complete list of all upcoming CASA and industry events, visit the CASA calendar of events.

 

 

 

DC Conference Offers Strong Program 

The preliminary program for CASA’s Washington D.C. Conference is now available. Register today to join other clean water leaders in the Nation’s Capital from February 24 – 26, 2014. CASA’s Washington, D.C. Conference is being held at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel.

 

One of the conference’s many highlights is the keynote address being provided by Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a frequent commentator on political issues, who will speak to delegates during the luncheon on Monday. Other featured speakers include Representative Timothy Bishop, the Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and Marty Kady, Chief Editor of Politico. California Congressman Jared Huffman will welcome delegates to a reception Tuesday evening at the beautiful U.S. Botanic Garden, where attendees can engage informally with members of the California congressional delegation. The reception is jointly sponsored by CASA and the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). Don’t miss this great opportunity to bring your priority issues to Capitol Hill.

 

AB 371 Resurrected, Amended, Moving – CASA Remains Opposed

This morning Assemblyman Rudy Salas took up his biosolids bill, AB 371, on the Assembly Floor where it passed on a vote of 47 “aye” votes to 4 “no” votes. CASA rallied quickly when the measure, a two-year bill, was put on a fast track to meet pending legislative deadlines. Just last Thursday, Assemblyman Salas gave notice during the Assembly Floor Session of his intention to reactivate and amend AB 371.Read more

 

Congress Reaches Agreement on Farm Bill 

A House Senate Conference Agreement was reached earlier this week and set in motion a final vote by both chambers before the President signs the two year delayed measure into law. CASA signed on to a coalition letter with other organizations representing municipal and state water and wastewater organizations, conversation and sustainable agriculture organizations asking members of Congress to support H.R. 2642. Among the provisions of interest to CASA are.Read more

 

CASA Continues its Focus on Clean Water Act Citizen Suit Reform

CASA continues to make progress in developing ideas and implementation strategies to prevent ongoing abuses of Clean Water Act (CWA) citizen suit provisions. One of the most promising developments thus far has been a proposal from the University of California Berkeley Wheeler Institute for Water Law and Policy (Wheeler Institute) to develop an academic white paper exploring the enforcement of water quality laws and regulations in the wastewater sector, with an emphasis on citizen suits related to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). Read more

 

Proposed Regulations to Close State Water Board Petition Loophole to be Released in 2014

Regulations to implement CASA’s proposal to establish a timeframe within which the State Water Board is required to commence its consideration of a petition for review of a regional water board’s action or failure to act will be released in the coming year. In early 2013, the CASA State Legislative Committee voted to sponsor legislation to add timelines for State Water Board action on petitions for review to the California Water Code. Currently, neither statute nor regulation establish a timeframe within which the State Water Board is required to commence its consideration of a petition for review. Read more.   

 

CASA to Seek Publication of Important Proposition 218 Case

In the coming weeks, CASA will be requesting publication of a recent California Fourth District Court of Appeal decision relating to Proposition 218: Morgan v. Imperial Irrigation District. Among other things, the currently unpublished opinion resolves the issue of whether, under Proposition 218, each affected rate class gets a separate protest or the agency can have one overall protest count, and also contains rulings favorable to local agencies on both procedural and substantive compliance with Proposition 218. The request for publication is due in early February, and CASA will continue to monitor the status of the case after submission.

 

Governor Releases Water Action Plan 

On January 27, 2014, the Governor released the final California Water Action Plan, which sets forth the Administration’s strategy for addressing the drought. According to the Governor, the state needs “regulators to rebalance water rules and enable voluntary transfers of water and we must prepare for forest fires. As the State Water Action Plan lays out, water recycling, expanded storage and serious groundwater management must all be part of the mix.” The plan commits to the development of regulations for both indirect and direct potable reuse of recycled water and pledges technical and financial assistance to reuse projects. Also of particular relevance to CASA members, the administration will continue to collaborate with water and wastewater agencies and energy utilities to educate consumers on the water-energy nexus. The administration will work with the Legislature to eliminate barriers to co-funding projects with water and energy benefits and expand and prioritize funding and technical support for water and wastewater agencies that achieve energy efficiency co-benefits and greenhouse gas reductions.

 

2014 Public Policy Forum 

Get involved! This spring CASA is hosting the first inaugural CASA Public Policy Forum in Sacramento, which will provide CASA members with the unique opportunity to get involved with pressing issues affecting our membership that are being deliberated this year in Sacramento. CASA will be inviting top leaders in the State’s legislative and regulatory areas to address attendees on issues affecting California’s renewable resource agencies such as recycled water, renewable energy and biosolids. Capitol visits will also be set up by CASA for attendees so we can educate legislators on the role of clean water agencies in providing services and resources to California and efforts that may be an opportunity or threat to the agencies.

The forum will be held at the Sacramento Sheraton Grand located just blocks from the State Capitol. The program will kick off early Monday morning, April 28 and conclude on Tuesday, April 29 at 11 a.m.

This is a chance to have your voice heard by key policy makers in Sacramento in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and a great opportunity to see policymaking in action.